4 Tips For Successful 2020 Planning

    

4 Tips For Successful 2020 Planning

Benjamin Franklin said it best “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  Without taking the time to plan or set goals, you will wade through your days, weeks, and months to find it is December again and a new year is around the corner.  Here are 4 tips to ensure you end 2019 with a plan going into 2020.

Brain Dump in a Group

A good plan is never just from one perspective, planning is always best when in a group. It requires input from others to ensure the adoption will go smoothly.  Plus, sometimes one is too close to something, and others can help provide insight that one is missing. Invite members from all departments, management, and employees to weigh in on the plan for 2020.

Reflect on 2019

What has worked well? What has not gone smoothly? Is there a process that is causing a bottleneck in your operations?  What projects have you completed?   What big wins did you have?  These are all important questions to start with, but I encourage you to dig deeper into the nitty gritty to uncover hidden or unseen hurdles, that with some small tweaks could make 2020 a breeze.  Make sure to take note of these as you can return to them in the years to come to see what the organization has accomplished.

Identify Business Hurdles

We all understand during the reflection phase you may have noted down high-level issues or challenges. Make sure to also question the operational aspects:
  • Do you have old technologies that need updating?
  • Do you have old software that is not working as you need it to now?
  • Do you have the correct number of staff to handle the upcoming projects?
  • Is the finance department often complaining about the A/R process?

These are just a few examples of business challenges that could be solved in 2020.  Take a moment and jot down which problems from different aspects of the business that need to be addressed. Here are some areas to start:

  • Workforce and HR
  • Sales
  • Technology
  • Financial Management
  • Growth
  • Marketing
  • Organization Strategy
Based on what you have noted for the different areas, identify those top 3 priorities in each.  Time to set some S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) goals for how you will address and achieve them in 2020. It is encouraged to map out as much detail as you can, remember this is a plan, it doesn’t have to be set in stone for the minute details.  A few details as such:  who is the likely project lead for technology selection and implementation, and/or the type of role(s) you’ll need to hire for.


Put the 2020 Plan in Writing

By pulling everything together and putting the plan in writing makes it all more real and actionable. Whether it is several pages of a Word document or a short PowerPoint presentation, having your vision and goals documented will lead you on the path to success.

With that all in mind, we hope these tips will help you plan for greatness in 2020, and help you prepare for any challenges.  If you are looking for help or more information on selecting new software solutions; How to Choose the Right Software will help you navigate through the process of selecting the right software vendor.

Hayley Kornilenko

About The Author

Hayley Kornilenko

With over 10 years of experience, Hayley has a wealth of knowledge in all areas of business, development and marketing. At BAASS, she works on the marketing team, working closely with the BAASS Practice Leaders to create collateral for our clients and prospects to understand how their unique business needs can be aided with the array of solutions BAASS offers.